Packaging Time Display Device Using Hydraulic Migration Medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current packaging solutions for pharmaceuticals and other products lack a simple, reliable, and inexpensive method to track the exact time since the product has been opened or removed, posing health risks due to the difficulty in monitoring medication intake.
Innovation Solution
A packaging system with a chamber and a sealing layer that includes a time display device activated when the product is removed, using a migration medium and actuating device to visually display elapsed time, ensuring the device is actively operated by the consumer and providing a hygienic seal that indicates product integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a time display device is integrated into the packaging to track elapsed time since product removal, then measurement precision of time is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a liquid-based hydraulic system where liquid flows from a first container through a migration medium to a second container. The flow rate of the liquid serves as a visual indicator of elapsed time, eliminating the need for electronic components while achieving continuous time measurement through fluid dynamics
Solution Approach 2:
The migration medium undergoes color changes as the liquid flows through it over time. This visual color transformation provides an intuitive time display without requiring electronic displays or complex mechanisms, resolving the contradiction by using simple chemical-optical changes for precise time measurement
2Ease of operation
If the time display device is activated through the sealing layer when product is squeezed out, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability of the seal may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the product removal action with the time display activation into a single operation. The same squeezing force that removes the product from the chamber also activates the time display device through the sealing layer, eliminating separate activation steps while maintaining seal integrity through controlled force application
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing layer serves as an intermediary element that transmits the squeezing force to activate the time display device while maintaining its primary function of sealing the chamber. The layer is designed to be penetrable by the product under normal removal forces but remains reliable for its sealing function
3Loss of information
If the time display device displays elapsed time continuously, then information completeness is improved, but loss of time for reading the display increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous time display through continuous liquid flow from the first container through the migration medium to the second container. The uninterrupted flow provides constant visual feedback on elapsed time without requiring the user to check at specific intervals, eliminating time loss for reading while maintaining complete time information
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides an efficient and accurate visual display of elapsed time since the product was removed, enhancing medication adherence and reducing health risks by ensuring the product is used within a safe timeframe.
Implementation Method 1
causes a color change in the migration medium over time
Implementation Method 2
a liquid from the first container is brought into contact with the migration medium
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4a~4b
AI summary
The invention relates to a packaging (100) comprising a chamber (1) for storing a product (2), a layer (3) for sealing the chamber, and a time display device (4) associated with the chamber (1), which is configured to be activated when a product (2) located in the chamber (1) is squeezed through the layer (3) and to display the elapsed time (5) since this squeezing. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to specify a corresponding method.